Devotional
Understanding the Heart of the Law
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets;
I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
Matthew 5:17
The sermon this coming Sunday leads us into the middle of Matthew chapter 5 - Understanding the heart of the law.
We know that the Old testament (or old covenant) looks very different to the New Testament (or new covenant) which is what we live in today. Firstly, we no longer have to sacrifice animals to pay for our sins. And the best part.....the Spirit of God now dwells in us; compared to only dwelling in the inner most part of the temple (with some exceptions in certain individuals).
Verse 17 states that Jesus didn't come to abolish the law but to fulfil the law. What does this mean? Are we actually still meant to sacrifice animals? Should we be keeping the Sabbath still, which is originally a Saturday? Should we be having cleansing ceremonies for when we become "unclean"? Etc etc… These questions can make us wonder where they still stand with us today.
The word "foreshadow" does not appear in the Bible, but is a word used to help us understand a before and after symbol. Read Titus 3:5 & Hebrews 10:1. The law was a foreshadow of things to come. The sacrificial system was a foreshadow of the greatest sacrifice that came through Jesus Christ. The Sabbath was a foreshadow for resting, where the Holy Spirit is the one who now brings us into rest. The cleansing rituals were a foreshadow of the internal cleansing that was to occur through Jesus Christ, washing us clean through his death and resurrection on the cross. Baptism is the sign of the internal washing in our hearts as we follow Him.
Jesus did not come to create a new religion, but to fulfil the old system in the new way.
God bless you as you seek Him today.
James Dearden
We know that the Old testament (or old covenant) looks very different to the New Testament (or new covenant) which is what we live in today. Firstly, we no longer have to sacrifice animals to pay for our sins. And the best part.....the Spirit of God now dwells in us; compared to only dwelling in the inner most part of the temple (with some exceptions in certain individuals).
Verse 17 states that Jesus didn't come to abolish the law but to fulfil the law. What does this mean? Are we actually still meant to sacrifice animals? Should we be keeping the Sabbath still, which is originally a Saturday? Should we be having cleansing ceremonies for when we become "unclean"? Etc etc… These questions can make us wonder where they still stand with us today.
The word "foreshadow" does not appear in the Bible, but is a word used to help us understand a before and after symbol. Read Titus 3:5 & Hebrews 10:1. The law was a foreshadow of things to come. The sacrificial system was a foreshadow of the greatest sacrifice that came through Jesus Christ. The Sabbath was a foreshadow for resting, where the Holy Spirit is the one who now brings us into rest. The cleansing rituals were a foreshadow of the internal cleansing that was to occur through Jesus Christ, washing us clean through his death and resurrection on the cross. Baptism is the sign of the internal washing in our hearts as we follow Him.
Jesus did not come to create a new religion, but to fulfil the old system in the new way.
God bless you as you seek Him today.
James Dearden
Posted in Devotional